The government of Rwanda has challenged the methodology used by a United Nations (UN) commission of inquiry investigating the human rights situation in eastern DR Congo, arguing that serious allegations should be backed by independently verifiable evidence and that the inquiry cannot fully fulfil its mandate without field access to the affected areas.
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Speaking during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the commission of inquiry's oral update at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on June 29, Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa, said the Council should ensure that its decisions are based on credible and impartial investigations.
"Rwanda reaffirms its attachment to peace, regional stability and the principles of the United Nations Charter," Bakuramutsa said. "We support credible, impartial and evidence-based investigative work because it is the surest way to inform the council's decisions and strengthen accountability."
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The envoy argued that the commission's oral update relied on allegations that had not been independently verified.
"Serious allegations have been presented before this Council without independently verifiable evidence, transparent sourcing or objective corroboration," she said.
"Anonymous testimonies, unverified accounts and selectively cited open-source information cannot provide a sufficient basis for definitive conclusions."
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Bakuramutsa also questioned the commission's decision to conduct much of its work from Kinshasa after acknowledging difficulties accessing North and South Kivu, the provinces at the centre of the conflict.
"The commission has shared the challenges to access the concerned region, opting to work in Kinshasa," she said.
"It is to note that Kinshasa is approximately 1,500 kilometres from Goma and Bukavu, roughly the distance between Geneva and Bucharest or further than Singapore and Bangkok."
"No one would claim to understand what is happening in Bangkok while assessing the situation from Singapore or conversely by investigating Bucharest, while remaining in Geneva. In the same way, an oral update on both Kivus must be grounded in the realities of the region."
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She said Rwanda was concerned that without field visits, direct engagement with affected communities and on-the-ground verification, the commission could not fully discharge its mandate.
Bakuramutsa asked the commission to explain how it intends to bridge that gap, including by engaging victims and witnesses across the Great Lakes region.
She pointed out that the UN refugee agency reports that about 949,000 Congolese refugees and asylum seekers are living across neighbouring countries, including Rwanda.
Turning to the broader security situation, the envoy said any assessment of the conflict in eastern DR Congo must take into account the presence of the FDLR, "a UN-sanctioned genocidal armed group founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi."
"Since finding safe haven in eastern DRC, the FDLR has remained a direct threat to Rwanda's security and a driver of instability in the Great Lakes Region," she said.
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Bakuramutsa added that the threat extends beyond military activities.
"The genocidal ideology spread by the FDLR continues to fuel anti-Tutsi hate speech, ethnic incitement and discriminatory rhetoric against Congolese Tutsi communities, including the Banyamulenge. These are early warning signs that cannot be ignored."
She further argued that ongoing regional peace initiatives including the African Union-led mediation under Togo, the Washington Peace Accords and the Doha process have established important political pathways toward peace.
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However, she said implementation remains undermined because "the DRC's continued coordination with the genocidal armed group by equipping, financing and politically backing their coordination with the Congolese army."
"The DRC cannot call for peace while pursuing a military solution on the ground, further supported by over 10,000 Burundian soldiers and foreign mercenaries. This approach must be clearly called out," she said.
Bakuramutsa urged the Human Rights Council and future reporting mechanisms to "apply credible evidentiary standards, reflect the full security context, including the FDLR threat, and support the implementation of existing peace commitments."
"Peace will be measured by implementation on the ground, through inclusive political dialogue, regional cooperation, confidence-building measures and comprehensive approaches that address the root causes of the conflict," she said.
